Lean-flow
and the Toyota approach is fundementally driven by a living
systems view and the principle of Hitotzukuri ('making people'),
that of developing people in the 'Gemba' workplace at all
levels. Lean is coherent holistically and thus difficult to
introduce, because it requires us to think and act horizontally.
Lean-Flow is a systemic way of working which at the same time
is completely sensitive to changing circumstances and can
therefore adapt to change extra-ordinarilly quickly. It does
this by completely educating and empowering everyone in the
organisation to solve their own challenges themselves. Basically
this is what allows an organisation's operation to thrive.

By
'lean-flow' we fundamentally mean 'lean' in its original use,
reflecting the Toyota Production System (toyoda seisan hoshiki).
We are adding the term 'flow' ('lean-flow'), because 'lean'
by itself is often, unfortunately, seen merely as a cost cutting
exercise or technique. Moreover 'lean' (as in 'lean start-up')
has recently also been appropriated by the Agile movement.
While Agile, especially its focus on pleasing clients, is
derived from Lean, there are fundamental differences (witness
the circular vs linear movement of kanban for instance) -
agile has grown out of non-routine commercial activities like
software or product development, R&D and creative industries,
lean primarilly deals with routine activities found in manufacturing,
tranportation, healthcare, retail and many industries, where
similar actions are repeated again and again.

We
are keen on introducing Lean-flow principles in industries
which have so far had little exposure to them. Lean-flow is
much more than an efficient manufacturing approach. We view
lean-flow as a holistic management philosophy, whose purpose
it is to elevate humans and society by collaboratively attaining
a smooth operational flow of products and services in organisations,
while reducing waste and toxicity. Aiming for both better
cost efficiency and more sustainable environment-friendly
client fulfillment, and ultimately customer satisfaction.

Lean-flow
principles not only represent a set of tools for achieving
a smooth operational flow, but are also a fundamental pan-organisational
management philosophy centred around people and respect. Lean
is an ecologically sustainable way of eliminating toxins and
unnecessary inefficiencies, while respecting nature, humans
and society.

Can
Agile principles work outside of software?

Are you in an organisation knowing it has to change, but
don't know how?

Have you come across terms like 'Agile', 'Lean', ;'Responsive',
'B-Corp', 'Beyond Budgeting', 'Teal', 'Ulab', ..... etc.,
and would like to better understand them?

Would you like the opportunity to talk about these new approaches
with peers and consider how they might relate to your organisation?

If
so, this 1-day workshop is for you:

AGILE
AT SCALE BEYOND SOFTWARE

Enabling
Pan-Organisational Responsiveness in a Dynamic World

1-day
Learning Workshop for leaders seeking to reinvent their organisations

Why
Reinvent organisations?

The
world is changing fast and in uncertain complex ways. We are
facing a major crises, economically, environmentally and spiritually.
Many organisations are trying to reivent themselves. They
know that have to change, but don't know what to change, what
to change to and how. Smaller organisations appear more nimble
and are embracing new ways, dramatically out-competing the
bigger brothers out of the market. Others are slower to follow,
too large to feel the ripples or too big to free themselves
from the chains of older forms of organising.

Most
leaders know at heart that something needs to change; we have
to re-shape our organisations to ensure they are fit for purpose
and fit for the humans who work in them. Even large corporations
will eventually have to adapt to the changing demands of the
world or face extinction like the dinosaurs. And there are
a myriad of new methods and approaches out there. This makes
it all the more confusing. Are they competiing methodologies?
Are they all proven? Do they work for all types of companies?
How do I go about choosing which one(s) is (are) right for
us?

Lean
- Agile - Responsive Lineage

Probably
the most common and most well known methodsis Agile. Agile
developed in the software development industry, and as most
organisations have an IT department of some form, many organisations
may already have some Agile capabilities in-house. Agile itself
grew out of Lean, which itself grew out of Toyota Management
System, famous for Just-in-time, Kaizen and PDCA problem-solving.
While Lean lends itself to routine repetitive activities (like
manufacturing, hospitals, transportation etc), Agile works
for creative product development (software, design etc). But
Agile is relevant to all forms of organisational activity,
well beyond software. Responsive is an example of an approach
taking lean and agile principles a step further.

Workshop
Outline and Delivery:

The
workshop itself will be delivered in a non-conventional way.
It will apply some of the principles of new ways of working,
organising and leading to new a way of learning. The workshop
will thus not be run in a classical training format with a
trainer at the front, giving a well polished presentation
of the various methodologies, with exercises, role-plays,
practice, discussions, all facilitated from the top. It will
be run using some of the new co-creative methodologies being
explored.

Lean
is an integrated business system and leadership philosophy involving
ALL employees in pursuing to create perfect client value as and
when (and only as and when) needed, with a minimum of effort (cost)
and toxicity (pollution). It is driven by econonomies of time (rather
than scale) in constantly and consistently pursuing the elimination
of waste, variation and workflow blockage while striving to continuously
improve client value. Lean is underpinned by 3 basic principles,
the 3 Ps.

PURPOSE:
Common aim

PROCESS:
Value stream

PEOPLE:
Engagement

While
lean was originally perceived as a cost-reduction exercise, its
relentless drive to eliminate waste makes it even more relevant
in our times of environmental concerns and sustainability. The mother
of all wastes, according to Seiiji Toyoda, is overproduction - this
is not only relevant to costs, but more importantly to reducing
disposal of toxins and wasted materials into our environment.

One
of the distinctive features of a lean organisation is that it pays
more attention to its horizontal flow (workflow, feedback
loops), so across the organisaion, than to its vertical flow (deparmental
flow) up and down the organisation. This enables the organisation
to be centred around clients at the end of the horizontal flow much
more effectively.

Lean
is important because it better serves clients and the common good,
while at same time minimising waste and toxicity. From communication
and work flow to cash flow - lean has been described by practitioners
the most effective wealth-creating approach ever, and it does so
in a highly sustainable way.

Value
Stream Gemba Walk

The importance
of Lean Accounting

Reflections
on 25 years of Lean

If
you have any question or would like to discuss anything raised,
please give us a call or send us an email.